I found some more good stuff this week: a look at mindset; how to properly lock the slide open on a pistol; being aware of the psychopaths in your midst; how to avoid getting stomped in a fight; some thoughts on security in hotels; Greg Ellifritz looks at surviving the mob around your car; and thinking about vacation preparedness.

Are you really ready to defend yourself?

I’m sharing this article because it has some great information on preparing yourself mentally for the realities of self defense. I do have some reservations about it, however; I’m not at all a fan of the idea of looking at self defense as “combat”, with its militaristic connotations, nor am I a fan of the “sheepdog” concept the author espouses. The meat of the article, though, about deciding ahead of time what you will do to protect yourself — and what those limits are — is solid. Overall, I think it’s an article worth reading. (Oh, and ignore the “404 Error” illustration — the author uses it to represent an empty mind!)

Fundamentals: locking the slide open

A lot of people mistakenly assume that they can’t buy an autoloading pistol because they don’t “have enough strength” to lock the slide open (or load the gun, for that matter.) This article at Personal Defense Network details how just about anyone can learn to lock their semiautomatic in the open position — quickly and easily!

Can you identify a psychopath? Don’t be so sure.

Psychopaths are those people whose lack of remorse or their lack of empathy for others causes them to manipulate people for their own gain. Sometimes those manipulations are aggressive and violent, and can end in tragedy for their victims. Thanks to Hollywood we all think we know what a psychopath looks like, but the reality is that we don’t. This is a terrific article on getting past your own preconceptions and learning to spot the signs which suggest you’re dealing with a psychopath.

Getting stomped can end your life. Here’s how to avoid it.

If you’re in a fight and you end up on the ground, you’re at risk for a stomping: people using their feet as hammers and the ground as an anvil to maim or kill you. The odds of a stomping go way up if the other party in your fight has friends present. This article from Michael Janich looks at some of the tactics you can use to avoid getting seriously injured if you end up on the wrong side of someone’s boots.

How secure is your hotel room?

One of my favorite blogs has become Your Ultimate Security Guide (it helps that I’ve been able to vet the writer through reliable third parties.) This article looks at some of the many vulnerabilities you might find in the average hotel room, starting at the front desk. (I had no idea there were passkey tumblers under those nameplates!) Read about the vulnerabilities and follow his instructions, with the understanding that he’s focusing on protecting valuables in your absence; protecting yourself while in that room is another topic for another day.

Learning to think about preparedness: what items do you take on vacation?

A big part of living a prepared lifestyle is learning how to think in terms of how you’d handle various problems. For instance, what can you take with you on vacation that would be useful if something went wrong? Some of the recommendations in this article may or may not be practical depending on where you’re going (and how you’re getting there), but other things — like buying a case of bottled water upon arrival — are easy. Being prepared isn’t just what you buy, it’s your attitude and how you think!

There’s a mob around your vehicle. What do you do?

There are lots of protests and even some mob violence happening around the country in this post-election period. How would you handle a mob attacking your vehicle? Greg Ellifritz has some tips.

Grant Cunningham is a renowned author and teacher in the fields of self defense, defensive shooting education and personal safety. He’s written several popular books on handguns and defensive shooting, including "The Book of the Revolver", "Shooter’s Guide To Handguns", "Defensive Revolver Fundamentals", "Defensive Pistol Fundamentals", and "Practice Strategies for Defensive Shooting" (Fall 2015.)
Grant has also written articles on shooting, self defense, training and teaching for many magazines and shooting websites, including Concealed Carry Magazine, Gun Digest Magazine, the Association of Defensive Shooting Instructors ADSI) and the popular Personal Defense Network training website. He’s produced a DVD in the National Rifle Association’s Personal Firearm Defense series titled "Defensive Revolver Fundamentals" and teaches defensive shooting and personal safety courses all over the United States.